Let it Out
by AlexMontgomery
Summary: Abandoned in the Satellite with no memory, Shion follows close behind Yusei into the City. Soon, she finds herself tangled in a web of events where it seems like her enemies know more about her than she dose. The answers lie in her forgotten past, but is she ready for the twisted truth? Based on the Stardust Accelerator and Reverse of Arcadia games. Rated - T
1. Chapter One

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, the video games based off of the series, or any previous series this fanfic may reference to. I just own Shion, and any character, or plot point unfamiliar to the original content.

* * *

The crow cheered wildly as the two Duel Runners whizzed across the track. The white motorbike turned itself around. A holographic, red, demonic-like dragon appeared in front of him. Red Dragon Archfiend let out a mighty roar as the two duelist were bathed in a white light.

The bikes pulled to a stop, as the losing Runner rider hopped off of his smoking machine. The other man, dressed in white, removed his helmet, revealing spiky blond hair, and violet eyes. He seem unfazed by the loud roars of cheers. "He won, won, won again, to-_day_!" the MC cried into the microphone clenched tight in his hand. "He's just too good! Nobody can take his throne! How long is his undefeated streak going to go on? A living legend, he's our one and only King, _Jack Atlas_!"

"There is no denying, I am the King," Jack Atlas announced to the crowded stadium. "The goddess of victory smiles upon me!"

* * *

**Chapter One**

* * *

The Satellite was known to everyone in the City as where the city's trash went. Both literal and metaphorical, or just plain out literal, depending on who you asked. It was a convenient place to dump criminals and the less fortunate.

Rally Dawson jogged into an empty alleyway, hoping he could salvage any spare parts for his friend. He bit the inside of his cheek. If he could find any little thing that could help…

Something suddenly caught his eye at the end of the ally. He squinted his eyes slightly. There was a person laying on the ground. "Hey, are you okay?!" he shouted, running p to the person. He fell to his knees and began to shake the person by the shoulders. "Come on! Pull yourself together!"

A groan passed the lips of the body, prompting a large smile of relief to grow on the boy's face. The person got onto their knees, revealing a teenaged girl, about fifteen at best guess. She had short, black hair, and blue eyes. She had on a purple shirt with a white lined collar. A black and white, short sleeved jacket went up to her mid-front. She wore a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of combat boots. She had a purple wrist band on her left arm, and a black arm band on her right forearm. Around her neck was a silver chain with a seashell dangling from it.

She seemed a little out of it, but she didn't look injured. "Ah, good," Rally smiled, relieved. "You had me worried for a moment. You're okay, right? You're not hurt, are you?"

The girl looked down at her hands. She blinked a couple of times, confused. "It doesn't look like you're hurt," Rally said, glancing over her. "And it doesn't look like you were attacked by thugs or anything. So what were you doing lying down in a place like this?"

The girl blinked again, studying the boy. He looked a few years younger than herself, with wild red hair, dressed in loose clothing that could have made it easy for him to pass off as a girl if he wanted. "You don't want to answer me?" asked Rally. He stood himself up. "Have it your way then. Actually… I don't think I've ever seen you around her before."

Again, the girl did no respond. "Oh!" the boy gasped. "I never introduced myself! The name's Rally! So, what's your name?"

"Uh…" the girl uttered. Her throat was slightly dry. "I-I don't… I don't know…"

"What?!" a surprised Rally shouted. The girl flinched. "You don't know?! Are you nuts or something?! It's your own name!"

"S-Sorry…" the girl stuttered. She looked down at her hands. Her face was beginning to turn very, very red. Of course, she felt stupid for not being able to answer something as simple as 'what's your name.'

Rally bit his lower lip. The girl looked lost and helpless. Perhaps he shouldn't have said what he did. "Well.. Em," he clear his throat. "You're in the Satellite right now. I think they used to call this place Domino City a long time ago. Doesn't any of this sound familiar?"

The girl shook her head. "Maybe you have amnesia," the boy threw out. He cross his arms over his chest. "That's a tough one, though. Maybe there's something in your bag that'll give us a clue?"

He pointed at the forest green bag beside the girl. Blinking a few more times, she pulled it out in front of her. Unzipping the bag, she opened it to find a plastic water bottle, and an odd device that looked like it was supposed to slide onto someone's arm. There was also a deck of cards held inside a slot in the device. "Isn't that a Duel Disk?!" Rally asked excitedly. "And a deck too! So, you're a Duelist then. Hey! Maybe you'll remember if you have a Duel with someone!"

The girl studied the Duel Disk briefly before she slid it onto her arm. "You think so?" she asked. "I-I suppose it wouldn't hurt…"

"Great!" the younger boy beamed. "Just let me get my deck, and we'll have a duel. Sit tight, I'll be back in a few minutes."

Rally tore off down the street, leaving the amnesiac girl on her own. She removed the deck from it's holder, then flipped through the cards. It was what one could expect from A Duel Monsters deck. Trap Cards, Spell Cards, Monster Cards. Going through the bag again, the girl found a number of Synchro Monsters. Once she was satisfied, she shuffled her deck, then placed it back in it's slot. She proceeded to take the water bottle out of the bag, uncapping it, she took a swig.

Just seconds after, Rally returned with his own standard Duel Disk, and deck. "Thanks for waiting," said Rally. He slid his arm into the Duel Disk, then made sure it was on securely. "Now let's get this battle started."

"Kay," the girl said as the duo's Disk's came to life.

**Duel Start  
****First Turn - Rally  
****Rally vs. ?  
****4000 / 4000**

"I'll start," Rally declared, pulling six cards from his deck, while the girl drew five.

She looked down at her own hand while Rally contemplated the opening move. She didn't have a great hand. It was mostly Trap and Spell Cards, with just one monster card. "I'll place one card in Defense Mode," said Rally. He slapped down a card on the surface of his Duel Disk. "Then two more cards face down, and I end my turn there."

**Second Turn - ?  
****Rally vs. ?  
****4000 / 4000**

"Right," the girl said drawing her sixth card.

'_Dang it,' _she thought, looking down at the card she just drew. It was another Magic Card; 'Unstable Evolution.' _'Another Magic Card! I need a good offence to go with this defense.'_

"I place one monster in Defense Mode as well," the girl declared. "And one other card face down. I end my turn from there."

**Third Turn - Rally  
****Rally vs. ?  
****4000 / 4000**

Grinning, Rally drew his next card. "I shift my face down card into Attack Mode," he said. An airplane-like machine appeared on the field. It was a monster called 'Gradius' (ATK/1200). "And then I summon X-Head Canon in Attack Mode."

A blue and yellow machine monster appeared beside Gradius. X-Head Canon (ATK/1800) had identical canon barrels on it's 'shoulders.' "Now," Rally continued. "I play my face down Spell Card, Banner of Courage. It's a continuous spell that gives my face-up monsters and extra two hundred attack points during my Battle Phase. X-Head Canon, attack her face-down card!"

An electrical current emitted from the X-Head Canon's (ATK/2000) canons. "Trap Card!" the girl shouted. "Kunai with Chain! And I use it to force X-Head Canon into Defense Position."

The holographic card stood up. A steel chain shot out, and wrapped itself around X-Head Canon, immobilizing it. "I don't think so," Rally grinned. "Counter Trap, Malfunction. At the coast of five hundred Life Points, this trap negates Kunai with Chain's effects."

The girl's eyes widened, the chain around the machine monster disappeared, and continued with it's attack. A fiery black sliced the girl's monster in two. The monster, a gold armored Spellcaster appeared for a split second before it disappeared. "And now," the boy went on. "Gradius, attack her Life Points directly!"

Gradius(ATK/1400) revved itself up, and launched itself straight at the girl. It hit her in the gut, nearly knocking her off her feet. Her Life Point counter began to decline. "And with that," said Rally, his monster returned to his side on the field. "I end my turn."

**Fourth Turn - ?  
****Rally vs. ?  
****3500 / 2600**

'_No good,'_ the girl thought, pulling out her next card. _'If I don't come up with something quickly, I'm done for.'_

Looking down at her hand, the girl struggled to keep her poker-face on. She drew a pretty decent monster this time. "I summon Harpy Lady 1 in Attack Mode!"

A monster appeared on the field in a flash of light. The monster was a woman with long magenta hair. Her hands and feet were clawed, and arm's were feathered. "But she only had thirteen hundred Attack Points," Rally argued. "X-Head Canon and Gradius are still stronger."

"I know that," the girl said, taking two cards from her hand. "That's why I play two Spell cards. First, I equip my Harpy Lady with Cyber Shield. This gives my Harpy an extra five hundred attack points."

Dark armor appeared on Harpy Lady's upper body. "But, I'm not done yet," the girl went on. "Now, I play Black Pendant. Much like Cyber Shield, this gives my monster another five hundred points."

"Huh?!" Rally exclaimed.

"Harpy Lady," the girl declared. "Attack his X-Head Canon!"

Harpy Lady (ATK/2300) flapped her winged arm's then darted forward. She drove her clawed hands into X-Head Canon. The machine began to spark before it exploded. It disintegrated into tiny pieces. "I'll end my turn by playing one last card, face down," the girl said.

**Fifth Turn - Rally  
****Rally vs. ?  
****3200 / 2600**

Biting his lower lip, Rally drew his next card. "I'll start by shifting my Gradius into Defense Mode," he said. "Then I'll place one more card in Defense Mode. And then I play De-Spell. I'll use it by destroying your Cyber Shield, and end my turn there."

**Sixth Turn - ?  
****Rally vs. ?  
****3200 / 2600**

The girl drew her next card, knowing full well that Rally was playing defensive. "I play Silent Magician LV4 in Attack Mode," the girl said, slapping the Spellcaster on her disk.

A young child appeared beside Harpy Lady. She had spiky silver hair and red eyes. She was dressed in blue and white robes, with a long staff in her hands. "I'll attack your face down card with Harpy Lady 1," she declared. "Go!"

Once more, Harpy Lady 1 (ATK/1800) flew forward. She drew her hand back, ready to drive it into Rally's face-down card. Harpy Lady suddenly bounced off the face-down card, and was thrown back. "What?" the girl questioned.

"Surprised you, huh?" Rally grinned. "With my Jade Knight's Defense Point's at eighteen hundred, we're at a stalemate."

Rally's Defense Card, a jet-like machine monster, Jade Knight(DEF/1800) flipped over. The girl groaned slightly. She was in trouble if Rally decided to attack her Silent Magician with Gradius. "Fine, I'll end my turn," she said.

**Seventh Turn - Rally  
****Rally vs. ?  
****3200 / 2600**

Silently, Rally drew his next card, and smiled. "I play the Spell Card, Goblin Thief," he declared. "This card takes five hundred of your Life Point's and add them to mine."

The girl's blue eyes widened as the Life Point counter decreased by five hundred. Rally, looking please with himself, said, "I'll end my turn by placing one care face down."

"I probably should mention something," the girl said. "Each time you draw a card, my Silent Magician gain's one Spell Counter, plus five hundred attack points."

"Huh?" Rally questioned. "So, that mean's Silent Magician get's… fifteen hundred Attack Points…"

"Yep."

**Eighth Turn - ?  
****Rally vs. ?  
****3700 / 2100**

The girl pulled out her next card from the top of the deck. She proceeded to look through her hand. "I play Lyna the Light Charmer," she said, placing the card down on her disk."

A girl with short, white hair, and grey eyes appeared beside Silent Magician LV4(ATK/1500). Over all Lyna the Light Charmer(ATK/500) had a bit of a pseudo-steampunk attire. Hovering beside her was a winged familiar known as Happy Lover.

"And now, I play the Spell Card, Unbalanced Evolution," said the girl. "As long as my Life Point's are lower I can equip this card with one of my monsters, giving it twenty-four hundred Attack Points. And I choose Lyna!"

Rally squeaked slightly. "Now, Lyna, attack Jet Knight!" the girl shouted.

Lyan gripped her staff in her hands and tapped the ground with the end. A light came out of the end of her staff, and shot at Rally's Jet Knight, destroying it. "Now, Silent Magician," the girl went on. "Attack his Gradius!"

Silent Magician ran straight at Gradius, and stabbed Gradius with her staff, causing the monster to disintegrate. "Now I use my Harpy Lady to attack your Life Points directly!"

Harpy Lady sprung forward, slashing Rally's front. "I'll end my turn here.

**Nineth Turn - ?  
****Rally vs. ?  
****2300 / 2100**

The red haired boy drew his next card, and placed it on the field. "I'll place one card face down and end my turn here."

"And because you drew another card," said the girl. "My Silent Magician get's another Spell Counter."

**Tenth Turn - ?  
****Rally vs. ?  
****3600 / 2100**

The girl drew her next card. "I'll place one card face down on the field," she said. "Now, Lyna, attack his Life Point's directly."

The white haired Spellcaster proceeded to tap the end of her staff on the ground again. "Not so fast," said Rally. "Reveal Trap Card. Waboku! Meaning I'm safe this turn."

**Eleventh Turn - Rally  
****Rally vs. ?  
****3600 / 2100**

"Yeah, I know," Rally said, drawing a card. "Silent Magician get's a spell Counter."

He looked over his hand for a few minutes. "I'll place one card in Defense Mode," he said placing another card down. "Then one more card face down. And end my turn there."

**Twelfth Turn - ?  
****Rally vs. ?  
****3600 / 2100**

The girl drew her next card. "Silent Magician, attack his face-down card!"

Leaning over slightly, Silent Magician ran forward. "Trap Card," Rally declared. "Waboku."

"Again?" the girl hissed. "Fine."

**Thirteenth Turn - Rally  
****Rally vs. ?  
****3400 / 2100**

Rally drew another card, adding a fourth Spell Counter to Silent Magician. "I switch my face down card into Attack Mode," Rally declared. The card on the field flipped over to reveal a purple, blue, and yellow machine, Cannon Solider(ATK/1400). "And now, I play my Spell Card, Limiter Removal. This double's my Canon Soldier's Attack Points. Now, I used it to attack Lyna!"

A fiery blast shot out of the machine gun on Canon Soldier's(ATK/2400) head. The blast hit Lyn, then bounced off her to hit Canon Soldier. The stalemate took out both monsters. "I'll end my turn here," said Rally.

**Fourteenth Turn - ?  
****Rally vs. ?  
****3400 / 2100**

"You realize that leaves you wide open for an attack," the girl said, drawing a card. "Silent Magician, attack his Life Points directly."

Silent Magican took off running straight at the boy. She drove her staff into his stomach. "Now, Harpy Lady, attack his Life Points directly," the girl instructed. "My victory, go!"

Harpy Lady flew forward, slashing Rally's front side. The last of his Life Points diminished.

**Rally vs. ?  
****0000 / 2100**

As soon as the attack finished, the holographic images disappeared, both Duel Disk retracted to their stand-by stages. "It's been a long time since I had such a fun Duel," Rally said with a bright smile. "Thanks a lot!"

"Sure," the girl said. She collected her cards from her graveyard, and placed them with the rest of her deck.

"So," the boy began, walking up to her. "Do you remember anything?"

The amnesiac girl though for a minute. Had she remembered anything? A few moments passed, something was coming to her.

"_-on… I remembered they were your favorite."_

"Sh…" the girl uttered. Slowly, the pieces were coming into place. "Sh… Shion…"

"Shion," repeated Rally. "Well, it's nice to meet your, Shion! That's gotta be it. I'm sure you'll remember more if you Duel other people."

"You think so?" Shion asked, scratching the back of her head. It seemed a little out there to her.

"Yeah, why not? You remembered your name just now, didn't you?"

"Yes… but…" Shion murmured. "That could've been a weird fluke…"

"My friends and I usually hang out in the old subway not that far from here," Rally explained, pointing down the ally. "I'd guide you there myself, but there's something I need to do quickly, so I'll catch up with you in a few minutes. Just tell them I sent you."

"Are you sure?" an uneasy Shion asked.

"Of course! They're good guys. The subway's just a little South from here. You should fine it pretty quickly. I'll see you in a bit, Shion!"

With that said, the boy ran off, leaving the black haired girl on her own. She stood in silence for a few moments before she grabbed her bag. She swung it over her shoulder, gripping onto the strap. While Shion was still unsure about Rally's friends, despite the reassurance, she really did not have much of a choice at the moment.

The Satellite was so unfamiliar to her. Everything was. Shion could not remember where she came from, or how she ended up here, or even if she had a family name for herself. As much as seeing his friends made her nervous, she had to trust Rally.

Shion's eyes traveled around the area as she walked down the street Rally pointed her down. The Satellite looked like it might have once been a thriving city, but something cataclysmic must have happened to leave it in such a state of ruin. For those living here, it should have been common knowledge. If Shion was from the Satellite, why did she not know any of this? Nothing looked familiar. Nothing looked like it could relate to home.

Another few minutes passed until Shion finally spotted the entrance to the subway. A young man, a bit older than Shion herself, stood blocking the entrance. He had on a blue bandana, and a light green shirt under a white, short-sleeved button down shirt. In an instant Shion suddenly felt the need to run away, or just wait until she met up with Rally again. She was open to either option.

"Who are you?" the man growled upon seeing Shion. "What do you want? Only our friends are allowed to enter the subway, you know."

The girl flinched. She wrapped her hands around the strap of her bag. It was like some form of support for her. It was the only form of support right now. "I-I was…" Shion stuttered. "Rally t-told me to-"

"Rally?" the man, Nerve repeated. He grew angry at this, which caused Shion to shrink. "What about him?"

"He just told me to come here!" Shion blurted out. The sudden outburst surprised both parties. "He said he'd introduce us later!"

She could tell Nerve did not buy any of this. Like, at all. An frankly, Shion couldn't blame him. She wouldn't buy it if she was in his shoes. Some girl he never met claming to know a friend who wasn't there to vouch for her. Yeah, Shion could understand the doubt. "Well, I don't know you at all," said Nerve. "So no matter what you say, I'm not buying it."

Did she ever call it. "Yeah, I know…"

Shion brought her left hand up to her ear to brush a lock of hair back. "What's that you got?" Nerve asked, noticing the mechanical device on her arm. "A Duel Disk?"

"Huh?" the girl questioned. She looked down at her arm. "Oh, yeah. I never thought to take it off, I guess."

Nerve thoguth for a moment before a grin played on his lips. "It was getting boring around here," he said. "So, how 'bout this. You beat me in a Duel and I'll believe that story you told me."

Shion raised an eyebrow at this. It seemed like a bit much to stake on a card game. But, if anything this could kill a bit of time. "Okay," Shion said with a nod.

Quickly, Nerve retrieved his own Duel Disk, and deck. As soon as he returned the Duel was on.

**Duel Start  
****First Turn - Shion  
****Nerve vs. Shion  
****4000 / 4000**

"Ladies first," Nerve said, pulling five cards from his deck.

"What a gentleman," Shion sighed as she drew her sixth card.

It was not a bad hand this time around. _'I don't know what his deck is like,' _Shion thought to herself. _'So… best play on the defense for now.'_

"All right then," Shion declared. "I'll place one monster in Defense Mode. Then two more cards, face down, and I'll end my turn there."

Three cards appeared face down on the field, waiting to be put into play.

**Second Turn - Nerve  
****Nerve vs. Shion  
****4000 / 4000**

Playing it safe, eh?" Nerve asked, drawing his next card.

"What else am I supposed to do during the first turn?" Shion asked as Nerve looked through his own hand.

"I'll play Alligator Sword in Attack Mode," said Nerve. She slapped a card onto his Duel Disk. On the field, a large, green, anthropomorphic alligator in red and black armor appeared. "Then I'll place one card face down. Alligator's Sword, attack her face-down card!"

Alligator's Sword(ATK/1500) gripped it's sword in its clawed hands. The monster ran up to Shion's face-down card. The alligator drew its sword back, ready to strike. When it brought it's arms down, the sword bounced off the card, and threw the monster to Nerve's side of the filed. Shion's card flipped over to reveal a dark haired boy. He was dressed in a pseudo-steampunk style. In his hand was a staff that looked like it was made out of a birds skull. Hovering beside him was a bat-like familiar called Meta Bat. "Sorry," Shion said with a smirk. "Dharc the Dark Charmer has a defense equal to that of Alligator's Sword."

Nerve bit his lower lip, and looked back down at his hand. "Fine, I'll end my turn here," he spat.

**Third Turn - Shion  
****Nerve vs. Shion  
****4000 / 4000**

"Draw," Shion declared. She glanced down at her next card, and smiled. "I play Familiar-Possessed Dharc in Attack Mode."

A slightly older version of the Charmer appeared on the field. His Meta Bat familiar was much larger, deformed in comparison to the Charmer. "Now, I switch Dharc the Dark Charmer into attack mode," Shion continued. "Familiar - Possessed Dharc, attack his Alligator's Sword!"

Familiar - Possessed Dharc(ATK/1850) took his staff in both hands. A purple magic circle surrounded him. As soon as the circle died down, purple sparks traveled across the ground, shocking Nerve's Alligator's Sword, destroying it. "And now," said Shion. "I used my Charmer to attack your Life Point's directly."

Unlike his Familiar - Possessed form, Charmer Dharc ran up to Nerve, then slashed the air in front of him with his staff. "With that," said Shion. Her monster returned to her side. "I end my turn."

* * *

**Authors Note:** First chapter done.

Okay, this story is a mesh between the Stardust Accelerator, and Reverse of Arcadia video games along with the anime. This thing will slip in a reference to the two previous series every so often. This will also spoil a fanfic I have for the original series, which, as of now, is not posted.

Enjoy!


	2. Chapter Two

"Ladies first," Nerve said, pulling five cards from his deck.

"What a gentleman," Shion sighed as she drew her sixth card.

It was not a bad hand this time around. _'I don't know what his deck is like,' _Shion thought to herself. _'So… best play on the defense for now.'_

"All right then," Shion declared. "I'll place one monster in Defense Mode. Then two more cards, face down, and I'll end my turn there."

Three cards appeared face down on the field, waiting to be put into play.

**Second Turn - Nerve  
****Nerve vs. Shion  
****4000 / 4000**

"Playing it safe, eh?" Nerve asked, drawing his next card.

"What else am I supposed to do during the first turn?" Shion asked as Nerve looked through his own hand.

"I'll play Alligator Sword in Attack Mode," said Nerve. She slapped a card onto his Duel Disk. On the field, a large, green, anthropomorphic alligator in red and black armor appeared. "Then I'll place one card face down. Alligator's Sword, attack her face-down card!"

Alligator's Sword(ATK/1500) gripped it's sword in its clawed hands. The monster ran up to Shion's face-down card. The alligator drew its sword back, ready to strike. When it brought it's arms down, the sword bounced off the card, and threw the monster to Nerve's side of the filed. Shion's card flipped over to reveal a dark haired boy. He was dressed in a pseudo-steampunk style. In his hand was a staff that looked like it was made out of a birds skull. Hovering beside him was a bat-like familiar called Meta Bat. "Sorry," Shion said with a smirk. "Dharc the Dark Charmer has a defense equal to that of Alligator's Sword."

Nerve bit his lower lip, and looked back down at his hand. "Fine, I'll end my turn here," he spat.

**Third Turn - Shion  
****Nerve vs. Shion  
****4000 / 4000**

"Draw," Shion declared. She glanced down at her next card, and smiled. "I play Familiar-Possessed Dharc in Attack Mode."

A slightly older version of the Charmer appeared on the field. His Meta Bat familiar was much larger, deformed in comparison to the Charmer. "Now, I switch Dharc the Dark Charmer into attack mode," Shion continued. "Familiar - Possessed Dharc, attack his Alligator's Sword!"

Familiar - Possessed Dharc(ATK/1850) took his staff in both hands. A purple magic circle surrounded him. As soon as the circle died down, purple sparks traveled across the ground, shocking Nerve's Alligator's Sword, destroying it. "And now," said Shion. "I used my Charmer to attack your Life Point's directly."

Unlike his Familiar - Possessed form, Charmer Dharc ran up to Nerve, then slashed the air in front of him with his staff. "With that," said Shion. Her monster returned to her side. "I end my turn."

* * *

**Chapter Two**

* * *

**Fourth Turn - Nerve  
****Nerve vs. Shion  
****2150 / 4000**

Mumbling to himself, Nerve drew his next card. "I play my face-down card," Nerve declared, revealing the Trap Card he placed down. "Jar of Greed. This allows me to draw one extra card from my deck."

He drew one more card. Glancing down, he smiled. "I play Axe Raider, in Attack Mode," he said, slapping down the card.

Standing on Nerve's side of the field was a muscular man dressed mainly in red and gold armor. True to his name, he carried a large axe in his hand. "But that monster has seventeen hundred Attack Points," said Shion. "It's fifty points below Familiar - Possessed Dharc, if you wanted to take it out."

"I know that," Nerve smirked. "Which is why I play Big Bang Shot!"

Shion bit her lower lip. Not good. "I'm sure you've figured out what this dose," said Nerve. "So I equip this to Axe Raider, giving him an extra four hundred Attack Points. Axe Raider, attack Familiar - Possessed Dharc!"

**Fifth Turn - Shion  
****Nerve vs. Shion  
****2150 / 3750**

Groaning, Shion drew her next card. _'No good,' _Shion thought. The Trap Card she just drew was 'Kunai with Chan.' She had an equipment spell in her hand, but it wouldn't be enough to take out his Axe Raider. She glanced over at the two face-down cards she placed on the first turn. _'Even if I used my face down Magic Card, it wouldn't be enough to save Dharc. I should have equipped it to Familiar - Possessed Dharc when I had the chance! And I can't use my Trap Card right now… Well, at least I can use this.'_

"I switch my Charmer into Defense Mode," said Shion. Dharc sank onto one knee, his arms crossed over his chest. "Then I place one card face-down, and end my turn."

**Sixth Turn - Nerve  
****Nerve vs. Shion  
****2150 / 3750**

Drawing his next card, Nerve looked down at his hand, then back at the field. "I'll place one monster in Defense Mode as well," said Nerve. The card in question appeared beside his Axe Raider. "Now, Axe Raider, attack Dharc the Dark Charmer!"

Axe Raider prepared to throw his axe again, a smirk crossed Shion's lips. "Trap Card," she declared. "Kunai with Chain! This card gives me the option of using one out of two effects, or both. First being to forcibly chance your monster into defense position, and the other, equipping my monster with an extra five hundred attack points. And guess, what? I chose both options."

Shion's trap card stood up. A chain with a kunai attached to it shot out. One end was caught by Dharc the Dark Charmer(ATK/1000). The other side of the chain wrapped itself around Axe Raider, forcing the monster onto his knees.

"Fine then," Nerve grumbled. "I'll end my turn here."

**Seventh Turn - Shion  
****Nerve vs. Shion  
****2150 / 3750**

'_I might be able to get a good lead,' _Shion thought to herself. _'I just need a good monster.'_

Closing her eyes, Shion drew her next card. It was another low level monster. _'Dang it,' _she thought, biting her lip again.

"I'll place one car face down in Defense Mode and end my turn," she said.

**Eighth Turn - Nerve  
****Nerve vs. Shion  
****2150 / 3750**

"Geez," Nerve sighed, while he drew a card. "I think I'm getting bored again."

"Not my fault," muttered Shion.

"Right, then. I'll sacrifice my two monsters on the field to summon Cosmo Queen!"

"No!" Shion hissed.

Nerves two monster disappeared from the field. A bright light blanketed the field and a woman appeared. She was dressed in a long, red robe, with a gold and red breastplate. On her head, she wore a complex gold and green headdress. "Now, I use Cosmo Queen to attack your face-down card!" said Nerve.

Cosmo Queen (ATK/2900) extended her arm's. The wind suddenly picked up, causing Shion's defense monster to quake. It flipped over to reveal an anthropomorphic rabbit, carrying a scythe. The image shattered, leaving behind only Dharc. "I end my turn here," said Nerve.

**Ninth Turn - Shion  
****Nerve vs. Shion  
****2150 / 3750**

Shion bit the inside of her cheek as she drew her next card. If she didn't come up with something soon, she was done for. She looked down at her next card, and sighed. Another monster that couldn't get her out of this mess. "I place one card face-down in Defense Mode, and end my turn," she said.

**Tenth Turn - Nerve  
****Nerve vs. Shion  
****2150 / 3750**

Nerve looked down at his card. "Now we're getting somewhere," he grinned. He slapped down another monster. "I play Tiger Axe in attack mode. Cosmo Queen, attack Dharc the Dark Charmer."

"Trap Card," Shion declared. "Needle Ceiling! When there are four monsters on the field, Needle Ceiling destroys all face-up monsters."

The images of Cosmo Queen, Tiger Axe, and Dharc the Dark Charmer shattered. Nerve scanned through his hand once more. "I end my turn," he muttered.

**Eleventh Turn - Shion  
****Nerve vs. Shion  
****2150 / 3750**

Shion smiled as soon as she saw her card. "Now I switch my defensive monster into Attack Mode, Harpy Lady 1!"

A bird-like woman with long, red hair appeared on the field. "Now I play the spell card," Shion continued. She placed her Magic Card into the Duel Disk. On the field a holographic card appeared. "Elegant Egotist. This allows me to summon the Harpy Lady Sister."

In a flurry of feathers, three harpies appeared beside Harpy Lady 1. The first resembled the Harpy Lady Shion originally summoned. The second had short, orange-red hair. And final, has spiky blue hair. "And my Harpy Lady 1's special ability gives an extra three hundred attack points to any wind attribute monster. Harpy Lady 1, attack his Life Point's directly!"

Harpy Lady(ATK/1600), flew forward. She slashed a clawed hand in front of Nerve. "Now, Harpy Lady Sister's, finish this," Shion declared. "My victory."

A flurry of green feather's darted straight at Nerve, taking out his remaining Life Points.

**Nerve vs. Shion  
****LP 0000 / LP 3750**

"All right," sighed Nerve. His Duel Disk retracted to it's stand-by phase, followed suite by Shion's. "You got me. I'll believe that you know Rally."

"Hey, Nerve!" the boy in question called, running up to the pair. "You two were Dueling, weren't you?"

"Yeah," Nerve said with a slight nod. "We're talking about a complete stranger, here. I thought I'd drive her off, but she turned out to be fairly strong."

"I know what you mean," Rally said, cheerfully. "We've got a real Duelist on our hands. Never, let me introduce you. This here is Shion. We just met a little while ago."

"So, you two did meet," Nerve muttered, his attention turning to Shion. He extended a hand towards her. "Sorry for doubting you. Can't be too careful around here, you know."

Staring at Nerve momentarily, Shion smiled. "Don't worry about it," she said. She clasped his hand, and the two shook. "I get it. Safety first, right."

"Say, Nerve," Rally said, his tone turning slightly serious. "I think Shion might have amnesia. When I found her, she didn't even know her name. She only remembered it after we had a Duel. Isn't there something we can do to help?"

"Amnesia, huh?" Nerve questioned. He gripped his chin lightly, in though. "That's a rough one. So, Shion, did your Duel bring back anything?"

"I don't know," murmured Shion. She folded her arms over her chest, then tilted her head back. "I'm… I'm not getting anything like I did when my name came to me. So…"

The black haired girl thought for a moment. Her face twisted in discomfort. Finally, she lowered her head, and sighed a small, white mushroom cloud. "Well, it's probably best not to force it," Nerve advised. "Other than that, I'm not really sure what else we can do besides wait it out."

In unison with Rally, Shion sighed heavily. When she thought about it, she realized it would have been wishful thinking to believe that her memory would come back to her just like that. If she had to guess, Shion's name only came back to her because of her deck. It had to be something pretty familiar to her before, especially if she built it herself. "I wouldn't worry about it," Rally said, suddenly cheering up. "It's like Nerve said, I'm sure it'll come back in time. Come on, Shion, I still need to introduce you to the others."

He suddenly grabbed Shion by the hand, and pulled her down the subway steps. She nearly fell twice. "I'll meet up with you in a bit," said Nerve, just as the two disappeared downstairs.

The first thing Shion noticed was how dim it was underground. Even though it should have surprised her. The only light source came from either the cracks in the roof, or the light from a small hut a few feet away from the stairs. "Blitz!" Rally called, upon reaching the last step. "Taka!"

"Hey, Rally!" a husky, brown haired young man greeted. He exited the hut with a lanky young man with dark hair pulled back, close behind him. When the two approached Rally, they glanced at Shion. "Who do we have here?"

"This is Shion," Rally introduced, linking arm's with the girl. "We just met. Shion, these two are my buds, Blitz and Taka."

"H-Hi…" Shion waved, meekly. Was she always like this when she met someone new? It was the same with Rally and Nerve. She was a little shy at first, but she opened up a bit after a Duel with them. Shion assumed it was because of her current situation.

"Did Nerve let her in?" asked Taka.

"Of course. But it looks like Shion has amnesia or something."

"Really?" Blitz asked. "Amnesia?"

"Y-Yeah," Shion muttered. "C-Can't remember a thing…"

"Well, aside from her name," Rally corrected. "That's all we know. That and fact that we've got a good Duelist on our hands."

"Duelist, huh," Taka repeated with a grin. "Looks like the two of us are gonna have to have a Duel."

"Hey!" Blitz argued. "I was about to challenge her!"

"Then why didn't you?"

"You're the one who jumped at the chance."

Rally beamed at his friends antics. He could see Shion's eyes rolled to the side in irritated. The last thing she wanted at the moment is another Duel. Everything sort of happened so fast, she wanted to sit down and sort out her thoughts.

A low hum suddenly reached Shion's ears. It echoed through the subway tunnels, growing louder, and shriller each passing second. Rally's face suddenly brightened. Was there another friend of his? Rally grabbed Shion's hand once more, and pulled her forward. "Come on, Shion!" he said, leading her to the tracks.

The younger boy lead Shion to the edge, in front of the hut. From there, she could see a light at the mouth of the tunnel. Within seconds, a red Duel Runner emerged. The machine pulled to a stop. Now, Shion could see there was a male figure balanced on the bike. He was dressed in dark blue and black. He braced his gloved hands against the red helmet and pulled it off. He looked like he couldn't have been more than a few years older than Shion. His hair was probably the most peculiar thing about his appearance, to Shion, anyway. Not so much because of it's color, but rather it's crab-like style.

"Welcome back, Yusei," Rally greeted with a large smile.

"Hey," the young man, Yusei said. He looked up at the boy. His azure-blue eyes traveled to the girl beside him. "Who's that?"

"This is Shion," the boy introduced her for the third time that day. "There's something odd about Shion. But not in a bad way."

'_Gee, thanks,'_ Shion thought. Her face was beginning to turn red.

"I brought Shion here to be one of our friends," Rally continued. "Everyone seems to be fine with it. You know, Shion's also a Duelist."

"I see," Yusei said simply. He placed his helmet back on. "I'm going to take another ride."

His hands wrapped around the internal grips of his Runner on either side of him. Revving up the engine, and without so much as a glance, or even a good-bye to Rally, Yusei sped off. Quickly, he vanished into the darkness of the tunnels. "Well, that was abrupt," Shion muttered, mostly to herself.

"Nah," Rally said with a shake of the head. "That's usually how Yusei is. He's a great friend, once you get to know him."

"If you say so," the girl sighed.

Shion suddenly slapped a hand over her right eye. A sudden jolt of pain shot through her head. There was a cluttered table, littered with papers and folders. Papers even littered the floor around the table. A Duel Runner rested in the middle of the room, just meters away from the table. Someone was talking to her. Shion couldn't make it out, but was able to pick up on a few words; 'Duel Runner,' 'Turbo Duel,' and 'Speed Counter.'

"Shion!" Rally said. He shook the older girl by the shoulder. This managed to snap her out of her thoughts. "You all right? You spaced out there for a minute."

She didn't say anything in reply. Instead, she looked down at the Duel Disk on her arm. She allowed the Field Spell slot to slide open, revealing a card hidden inside. 'Speed Spell - Shift Down,' it read. "Whoa!" Rally exclaimed. He snatched Shion's wrist, and brought her hand closer to his face for a better look at the card. "Is that a Speed Spell?! Where'd you get something like that?"

"I don't know," said Shion. Suddenly she felt nervous. "I just remember… eh… _something_. It was a white room… with a Duel Runner. Then… I dunno, something just don't me to check out my Field Spell slot."

"Say, Shion," Rally suddenly became excited. "Maybe you're a Turbo Duelist. Maybe you should talk to Yusei about it when he get's back."

"Ye-_ah_…." Shion muttered dully.

It was a bit of a funny thought, to Shion anyway. To walk up to Mr. Dark-and-Stoic and just ask him about Turbo Duel's and Runners. She saw that indifferent look on his face. He didn't seem like someone who would just help some girl he just met. There was no guarantee that she would even know what Yusei was talking about when it came to Runners. "Hey," Nerve called, walking up to the two. "I thought I heard Yusei."

"You just missed him," said Rally. "But hey, look at what Shion found!"

The young man looked over Shion's shoulder to find the Speed Spell in her hand. "No way!" he said in dsibelief, snatching the card from her hand. "Where the heck'd you get that?!"

"I don't _know_," Shion nearly whined. She didn't mean to, but she was getting a _little bit _frustrated with all the questions she couldn't answer. "I just found it."

"Say, Nerve," began Rally. "If Shion has a Speed Spell, do you think this means our new pal's a Turbo Duelist, too?"

"Well, one card doesn't exactly prove anything," said Nerve. Shion found herself nodding. There. Practical thinking. "But it does make it likely. When you think about it, it is pretty rare to meet a Turbo Duelist in these parts. Aside from Yusei, the only Turbo Duelist we've seen are Securities. Now if Shion had a Duel Runner, then we'd have a Turbo Duelist on our hands."

"Shion was just telling me she remembered seeing a Runner!" Rally said excitedly. "Do you remember where it is, Shion?"

The girl thought for a moment. Again, she had nothing. Lowering her head, Shion shook it twice. "Amnesia's a real downer, huh," Nerve sighed. A thought suddenly hit him. "Wait a minute. If the only Turbo Duelist around here are Securities, then wouldn't that mean Shion's from the City?"

"Oh, yeah!" the red haired boy exclaimed. "That's gotta be it! So maybe going into the City will make the amnesia go away!"

'_What just happened?'_ thought Shion.

Within the hour, Shion found herself seated on an old armchair inside the guy's hut. Nerve and Rally were quick to explain to Blitz and Taka about their discovery after Yusei left. And how they think Shion might be from the City. "But we have a problem there," Blitz said, leaning beside the desk with a computer on it. "Where're we gonna get a Runner for Shion to escape on. Let alone a means to escape. Securities aren't just going to let her ride into the City."

"One problem at a time," Taka replied. "Let's put our heads together and figure out how to get Shion a Duel Runner first."

"Well… Yusei has one right,?" asked Shion. She fiddled with her seashell necklace. She quickly found that she liked to stroke the smooth inside. "It can't be _that hard _to get a hold of one, right?

At this, the four males broke out into a fit of laughter. Something can confused her. Obviously there was something she missed. Something these men didn't explain to her. "What?" she finally asked.

"The thing is, Shion," Rally said with a lopsided grin. "Yusei built his."

Her face fell. That thing was built by his own hands? "It's his second one, actually," added Taka.

Second? Well, this was certainly giving Shion hope. She could totally see herself in Neo Domino City, with her memory back by the end of the week at this rate. "I wouldn't worry about it too much right now," Nerve said, reading the distraught look on Shion's face. "You put together a half-dozen heads, and we're bound to come up with something."

"If you say so…" Shion said in a weak voice.

She did not like that that was all she had to say on the matter. Would it have been any different if Shion could remember her past? Was she the person to have made an argument. Or would she have agreed that, for the time being, that was all they could do?

* * *

The sun had just fallen by the time Yusei returned. Upon dismounting his Duel Runner, he lead it up the wooden ramp, and into the darkened hut. A part of him was half expecting to be greeted by his friends. But, instead, he found it empty.

No. That was wrong. It wasn't empty, someone was occupying one of the armchairs. The girl Yusei had seen with Rally earlier that day. Her name was Shion, wasn't it?

At the moment she was sound asleep. Her head hanging at the side, and her bag rested at her feet. Even in her sleep, the girl gave off a strange vibe. Wither it was good or bad was up in the air. Though Rally appeared to have taken a shine to her. And it wasn't just anyone that could get pass Nerve. Well, for the sake of his friends, Yusei could only hope she wasn't a danger.

Yusei banished any thought's and observation's of this girl from his thoughts. He had to focus on the matter at hand, making sure his Runner's maintenance was perfect. And after two years of waiting, he couldn't afford a screw up. Not when he finally made his move. Not in a situation where so many things could go wrong. After all, he wasn't nowhere near out of the woods when he maid it into the City.

He shrugged off his jacket and draped it over the chair at the desk. Silently, he hooked up the laptop the other's usually used to keep up with news in the City, and champion Duel's, to his Runner. It hardly took Yusei any time to lose himself in the project at hand.

The door shift slightly. It was silent, aside from Yusei's typing on the keys. "You know," Rally said suddenly. "We're gonna try and find a Duel Runner for Shion."

Yusei's attention remained on his work. But, that didn't mean this statement poke his curiosity, if only slightly. "Where did that come from?"

"Well, Shion can't remember anything before I met her. We think she might come from the city…"

"I see."

That was bound to be tricky. The Satellite, naturally, wasn't like the City. You couldn't just walk out and buy a Duel Runner. Yusei himself had built two with what he could manage. Even if they could find her one, there was Securities to deal with.

Still, if Shion was willing to take the risk, he wasn't about to get in her way.

"I just want to help her, you know," Rally said, reading the look in Yusei's eye.

Behind the pair, Shion stirred in her sleep. Her eyes fluttered open, though she soon squinted. The bright light from Yusei's work area, in contrast to the darkened hut hurt her eyes. Shion rubbed them, shaking off the pain she felt. Once her eyes finally adjusted, she could make out Yusei tinkering with his Runner, while Rally looked over.

Shion's face turned red. Yusei had a pair of finely toned arms. _'Crap,' _she though, her eyes slowly traveled to the side. _'Why am I willing to bet Mr. Dark-and-Stoic has some abs to go with those arms…?'_

* * *

**Authors Note:** I had no idea how to end this chapter. Sorry if it's abrupt.


	3. Chapter Three

The next few days passed by quickly. Taka and Blitz got to duel with Shion during that time, as both wanted. Blitz actually came pretty close to beating Shion by the time she just managed to scrape out a victory. As the days passed, Shion was beginning to come out of her shell, and she was beginning to feel less awkward around her new friends. She wasn't any closer to remembering her past, but at least she was speaking more, and making less internal snark comments.

The day's would play out more or less the same. Shion stayed down in the subway most of the time with Rally, while Nerve, Blitz, and Taka went about their day at the plant. Occasionally Yusei would loiter around, but more often than not, he was out speeding down the subway tunnels. If he wasn't doing that, he was back tinkering at his D-Wheel.

Shion kept hearing 'Wait till you get to know him,' 'He's not that bad a person,' 'He's a great friend.' Really, all Shion could say about Yusei was that the guy was focused. She was almost tempted to see if she could break that focus. It was a humorous thought, but it probably would have been a harsh reality.

That day, Rally went out with Nerve, Taka, and Blitz in search of a Duel Runner. Left alone in the subway Shion went through the contents of her bag, again, just incase there was something she missed. Duel Disk, cards, water bottle. She checked one of the side pockets, her eyebrows rose in surprise. There was a wallet.

Shion's heart began pounding in her chest. Maybe there was a form of ID in there? She grabbed the wallet, and opened it. There were several notes inside, in one pocket, a handful of coins. But other than that, there was nothing. No ID card, no memo she may have written herself, or even a shopping list.

Disappointed, Shion exhaled. Looks like she would be on her on for this. "Shion!" someone shouted. "Shion!"

Arching her brow, Shion slid the wallet into her pocket, and poked her head outside the hut. Blitz ran down the flight of stairs into the subway, and up to Shion. "Blitz, what is it?" asked Shion.

The young slid to a halt in front of Shion. He bent over double, catching his breath. "I found…" Blitz panted. "I found someone who's looking to sell a Duel Runner."

* * *

**Chapter Three**

* * *

Shion followed close behind Blitz. He explained to her that he found someone willing to sell a Duel Runner, for cheap too. Blitz lead her about a mile away from the subway, to a dead-end lot. There stood an older man with a until they found an older man with a dirty blonde. "I brought someone looking to buy a Duel Runner," Blitz said as they approached the man. "The one I mentioned earlier."

The man, Kuroe, eyed Shion. "You, huh?" he asked. "I was expecting an older guy, but a customer's a customer. Of course, you can't get nothing for free. I'd be willing to part with this Runner for… let's say a thousand DP."

Both Blitz and Shion flinched at this. Yes, a thousand sounded cheap, no doubt cheaper than anything they could find in the City. But a thousand, and cheap did not belong in the same sentence in the Satellite. "You have that kind of money, Shion?" Blitz whispered.

"Yeah…" Shion reached into her pocket. "At least I think I do."

With wallet in hand, she counted out the notes inside. A thousand altogether. _'Talk about convenient,' _Shion thought, rolling her eyes to the side.

"Here," Shion held out the notes to Kuroe. "This should be enough."

"Pleasure doing business with you," Kuroe grinned, swiping the notes from her. "You just made yourself a fine purchase. And since I'm in a good mood, I'll throw in a bonus. You're crashing in the subway, right? I'll have your Runner delivered there in an hours time."

"That's great!" beamed Blitz. "Things turned out pretty good, right, Shion? You're now gonna have your own Duel Runner again! I'll search for Rally and the other to tell them we finally got you. You should head back."

"Sure," Shion nodded. "And thank you, this is really going to help out."

* * *

As Shion found she couldn't quite sit down and wait for the Runner to arrive. She was far too anxious. This was remedied by a simple walk around the area. Shion did not have the courage to venture too far, so she would just walk within a mile of the subway.

When she finally decided to go down and check, Shion found the Duel Runner, waiting for her. It was a standard, steel blue frame. Shion approached the Duel Runner, with wide eyes. The Runner looked like a fairly recent model, it couldn't have been that old. She had a difficult time picturing herself riding something like this, it was a little surreal.

However, something about the Runner seemed off. Shion wasn't sure how to explain it, but something was wrong.

"Hey, Shion!" Blitz's voice cut thought he silence. Shion jumped, her heart in her throat. "Has the Runner arrived yet?"

"See for yourself," Shion said, smiling.

The blue-haired young man descended down the stairs, to Shion's side. "Excellent!" he beamed. Shion vaguely noted that his enthusiasm was a bit of a contrast to her sheer awe. "Looks like we've got a pretty standard frame here, and a fairly recent model year. Looks like some adjustments were made, but you could get some real speed out of this thing. Wait…"

The black haired girl stepped back, giving Blitz room to closer inspect the Runner. So Shion wasn't the only one who felt that something was off. Silence hung between the pair. "There's no engine!" Blitz exclaimed, causing Shion to jump. "And no CPU either! The body is worth nothing by itself! How's it supposed to run?!"

Exhaling, Blitz arched himself over. "Sorry Shion…" he said weakly. "I'm really sorry… I shouldn't have trusted that dirt bag…"

"No, no," Shion said quickly, waving her hands out in front of her. "At least we have-"

"That lowlife!" Blitz exclaimed. "Imagine trying to pass off such utter junk! I gotta few choice words for him!"

He tore off before Shion could say anything. The black haired girl bit at her lower lip. She pushed her feet forward, running after him. "I have a bad feeling about this…" she said to herself.

By the time Blitz was in Shion's line of sigh, he was already telling off Kuroe. A man with a purple Mohawk suddenly approached the pair. Both Kuroe and his companion grabbed Blitz by the arm, then proceeded to drag him inside their lair.

Panic filled Shion as she picked up her speed as best as she could. She ran up the flight of stairs, up to the door. She gave a tug at the door, it was locked. Shion's eyes darted around the door. What to do? What to do? What to do?

In her blind panic, the black haired girl turned on her heel, and ran back to the subway. When she returned, she found Taka, Nerve, and Rally surrounding, and admiring the Duel Runner. "Hey, Shion!" Taka greeted. "I don't know how he did it, but look's like Blitz found you a good Runner here."

"Yeah," Rally beamed. "You'll be in the City in no time at this rate."

"We've…" Shion panted. "We've… We've got a problem. We didn't find out until it got her, but the Duel Runner's missing an engine and CPU. He went back to the guy we bought it from to complain about it, but they brought him into their lair, locking the door behind them!"

"Ah, that idiot!" hissed Nerve.

"Well, now what?" asked Taka. "If only Yusei were here…"

"What are you talking about?" Rally snapped. "Don't you want to save Blitz?"

"Of course I do, but none of us have had any luck getting ourselves out of the holes we've dug."

The three began to bicker amongst themselves. Shion stood watching the scene play out, confused, and stunned at first. Regaining her senses, the black haired girl tore off to the hut, and snatched her Duel Disk. The boy's hardly seemed to notice her when she ran pass them, and up the stairs.

Kuroe's lair was still locked by the time Shion returned. She bit her lower lip. There had to be another way in. Even if she had to make one, Shion was determined to get in. She hurried into the ally, silently praying for there to be a shattered window. When Shion found it, she had to bite down on her hand to keep herself from joyfully yelling.

The hole in the window was small enough for her to climb through, though it was at least a head above her. Though, not without the risk of cutting or nicking herself. First of all, she needed something to give her a lift first, for that, she used a nearby trash can. She pulled herself into the building head-first. Eventually, she over-balanced, her face planted onto the dusty floor. Her legs dangled in the air, resting against the wall.

"I _told _you we should have covered that window," someone argued.

"_Can it _Kameno," another person shot.

"Hey, ain't you the girl who bought that Duel Runner from me?" a third voice, Shion recognized as Kuroe, said.

Struggling, Shion lowered her legs, and pulled herself onto her hands and knees. Standing in front of her was Kuroe, the man with the purple Mohawk, and a third guy with a blonde Mohawk. "I want my friend back," said Shion.

"'s his own fault for running his mouth off," the man with the purple Mohawk, Ida agued.

The black haired girl stood up. She pointed an accusatory finger at Kuroe. "Only because your buddy here sold us a Duel Runner missing an engine and CPU."

"You said you wanted a Duel Runner," said the final man, Kameno. "You never specified that you wanted either parts."

"Fine, I can live with what I got. Just give me my friend, and we'll get out of your hair."

Kuroe stood silent for a moment. His arms folded across his chest, studying Shion. "You know what," he said finally. "What fun would it be to just hand him over to you. Beat me in a Duel, and I'll let your friend go. Lose, and I get both your Duel Runner and deck."

Shion arched her brow. That did not seem right, betting so much on a card game. But, she wasn't exactly in the position to say no. "Fine," Shion said, the Life Point counter, lighting up on her Duel Disk. "Let's Duel."

**Duel Start  
****First Turn - Kuroe  
****Kuroe vs. Shion  
****4000 / 4000**

"Think I'll start first," Kuroe scanned through his hand. "I play Injection Fairy Lily(ATK/400) in attack mode."

A pink haired fairy, dress as a nurse, with an oversized syringe in her hands appeared on the field. "Next, I play two cards face down, and end my turn."

**Second Turn - Shion  
****Kuroe vs. Shion  
****4000 / 4000**

"Draw," the girl muttered.

She smiled. Her hand wasn't that bad. She already had Elegant Egotist, she just needed one of her Harpie Ladies. But she had a couple of good monsters, and a Trap Card. _'Ah, but he has Injection Fairy Lily,' _Shion thought to herself. _'If I attack, Kuroe can give up Life Points to raise his fairy's attack points. None of my monster's would stand a chance. Better play on the defenses.'_

"I play Familiar-Possessed - Dharc in Defense Mode(DEF/1500)," said Shion. The familiar, haired steampunk-like spell caster appeared on the field, bent down on one knee with his staff over his chest. "Next I play one card face down, and end my turn."

**Third Turn - Kuroe  
****Kuroe vs. Shion  
****4000 / 4000**

"Looks like you're not about to fall for my Injection Fairy Lily's trap, eh?" asked Kuroe.

"Sorry to disappoint you," muttered Shion. "I knew of her effect, so what was the point in attacking?"

"Your probably right about that," said Kuroe. He drew his next card. "I reveal my face-down Spell Card, Dark Magic Curtain. By paying half- of my life points I can play one Dark Magician from my deck to my field."

"Dark Magician…" Shion whispered.

A red curtain appeared in front of Kuroe. The drapery was pulled back to reveal a man in purple armor, and a long, sea-green staff in his hand. Shion took a step back. This was the same monster made legend by the King of Games himself, and for good reason. The good news was that Kuroe couldn't use his Injection Fairy Lily without losing, but he had to be using her for something. "Dark Magician," declared Kuroe. "Attack her Familiar-Possessed - Dharc!"

Dark Magician(ATK/2500) extended his staff forward. A beam of magic emerged from the staff, colliding with Dharc.

**Fourth Turn - Shion  
****Kuroe vs. Shion  
****2000 / 4000**

"I draw," said Shion. Perfect, an equipment spell. "I play Harvest Angel of Wisdom(ATK/1800) in attack mode!"

An angel in gold and green armor appeared on the field, with a horn in hand. "Now I attach Lucky Iron Axe. This spell card gives an extra five hundred attack points to my monster, giving it a total of twenty-three hundred attack points.

The horn in the monsters hand was replaced with a sharp, iron axe. "Now, Harvest Angel of Wisdom," declared Shion. "Attack his Injection Fairy Lily!"

The Fairy-type monster rose his new ax above his head, and lowered it to the ground. The force of the attack tore through the air, headed straight for Injection Fairy Lily. "Reveal Trap Card," said Kuroe. "Magic Cylinder."

"What?!"

Two purple cups appeared on either side of Injection Fairy Lily. Her monster's attack went straight into one cylinder, the emerged from the other. The attack shot out, and slammed into Shion.

"Ah, right Kuroe!" cheered Ida. "You got her on the rope's now!"

**Fifth Turn - Kuroe  
****Kuroe vs. Shion  
****2000 / 1700**

"My turn," Kuroe said. Drawing his next card. "Dark Magician, attack her Harvest Angel of Wisdom!"

Once more, the dark magic shot out of the Magician's weapon. "Trap Card!" shouted Shion. "Mask of Weakness! Your Dark Magician loses seven hundred attack points for this turn!"

Dark Magician's(1800) attack his Harvest Angel of Wisdom. His attack bounced off, and hit Dark Magician. The monster shattered into tiny fragments.

"Kuroe!" shouted Kameno.

"Shit!" hissed Kuroe.

**Sixth Turn - Shion  
****Kuroe vs. Shion  
****200 / 1700**

"My turn," said Shion.

Drawing her next card, she smiled. "I play Night's End Sorcerer in attack mode!" said Shion.

A white, humanoid rabbit with a scythe in hand appeared on the field, next to Harvest Angel of Wisdom. "And now," Shion smirked. "I tune my Night's End Sorcerer, with my Harvest Angel of Wisdom. With their combined strength I Synchro Summon; Explosive Magician!"

In a bright light, a white and gold clad magician appeared on the field. "Aw, jeez…" muttered Ida.

"Hey, Kuroe, you're not lookin' so hot…" noted Kameno.

"A deal's a deal, right?" Shion asked, her arms folded over her chest. "My victory. Explosive Magician, attack his Injection Fairy Lily!"

Explosive Magician held his staff out in front of him. A magic circle appeared around him, the light expanded around the field, vaporizing Kuroe's Injection Fairy Lily, and the rest of his Life Points.

**Kuroe vs. Shion  
****Winner - Shion**

Kuroe sunk to one knee, his fist pressed hard against the floor. "Kuroe…" Kameno said cautiously.

Ida glared at Shion, who's Duel Disk retracted to it's stand-by phase. "You little…"

"Ida," Kuroe said suddenly. "Kameno. Why don't you two escort her friend out here."

"What?" Ida questioned, surprise. "But, what about-"

"A deal's, a deal, right," Kuroe stood up, grinning. "She beat me, I lost, all there is to it."

Exchanging shrugs, Ida and Kameno disappeared into the hallway. "I'm curious," said Shion. "If you won, what would have happened to the Runner?"

"Probably sell it again. You know how it is, gotta do what you can around here."

Glancing down to the side, Shion ran a hand through her hair. Why did she get the feeling she wasn't the only person who bought that Duel Runner?

Shion waited outside the building after Kuroe unlocked the doors. He assured her that Blitz would be out within moments. _'All's well that ends well,' _thought Shion. She glanced behind her at the door. _'I hope.'_

"Shion!" she heard.

She turned behind her to find Blitz emerging from the building, looking worse for wear. "You came to help," Blitz smiled, as he walked up to her. When the pair came face to face his look faltered. "I'm really sorry about the Duel Runner. This is my faul-"

"You know I'd rather be missing two parts than the whole thing!" Shion snapped. Her sudden out burst prompted Blitz to take a step backwards. "Yeah, it can't run, but it's more than what we started with!"

"Shion…"

The black haired girl sighed. She gestured over her shoulder. "Come on, everyone's worried."

* * *

The walk back to the subway was silent. Shion decided to keep to herself that she also staked her deck and Duel Runner. If Blitz was apologizing this much for two missing parts, Shion would hate to see if he knew what else was on the line to rescue him. When the station was insight, they could easily see the young redhead outside, waiting for them. "Blitz, Shion!" Rally greeted. "You're both okay! Blitz, I was worried!"

Blitz flinched. He just couldn't cat a break that day. "Sorry, Rally," he said meekly.

"Don't do anything that dangerous again," the younger boy scolded. He grabbed Blitz by the sleeve, then glanced over to Shion. "I'll go see to Blitz's injuries. We'll see you later, Shion."

"Sure," Shion smiled with a mock salute. "I'll fill in Nerve and Taka."

While Rally dragged of Blitz, Shion made her decent into the darkened Subway. If nothing else, it was definitely an eventful day. "Hey, Shion!" Nerve exclaimed. He and Taka were out in front of their hut. Smiling to herself, Shion half-jogged up to the pair. "Did you find Blitz?"

"Yep," she said with a nod. "Rally's taking a look at his injuries right now. Just a little bumped and scrapped from the looks of it."

"Great to hear," beamed Taka. "How'd you pull that off? There had to be some thugs guarding the place, right?"

"Well…" Shion rubbed the back of her neck. "The door _was_ locked, but I climbed through some broken glass in the window."

In perfect unison the pair broke into a fit of laughter. Considering the trouble it gave her, Shion didn't exactly find it funny… right now anyway. "After that…" the black haired girl went on. "I dueled their leader, Kuroe, I won so they let Blitz go."

"I'm just glad everything turned out all right," said Taka.

"No kidding," Nerve added. "Hate to think what would happen if someone needed to rescue _both_ of you."

"What's up? Did something happen?"

The trio looked up to find Yusei walking up to them. _'Mr. Dark-and-Stoic himself,' _Shion thought. Her eye's traveled to the lower right hand corner, her face began to turn red, and she was suddenly beginning to feel shy. She had no problem talking to everyone else in this subway. Everyone but Yusei.

"Well, you see," began Taka. "To help Shion we went out to find a Duel Runner for Shion. Blitz found someone willing to sell one for cheap, so we went out and bought it right away."

"Except the Duel Runner turned out to be a real lemon," Nerve added. "It was missing an engine and CPU. So Blitz went back to make a complaint. That went as well as you can imagine."

"Yeah, that dealer turned out to be a real bad guy," Taka took over once more. "He was actually a member of a gang of thugs. Blitz ended up getting himself captured. But Shion went out to rescue him and brought him home safe and sound."

"Shion?" Yusei questioned. His locked on Shion, who was trying to hide her eyes under her bangs. Thank you. I appreciated it."

In her head, Shion replied with 'It was no problem, I was happy to do it.' But in reality, she gave Yusei a response of low mumble's and an awkward shrug. "Say Nerve," Taka said, in an upbeat tone that highly contrast to Shion's pitiful response. "Think I'll go check on Blitz."

"Think I'll go with you," Nerve responded with a nod.

Shion felt the blood drain from her face. She knew exactly what they were trying to pull off. As their footsteps grew fainter and fainter, the blush on Shion's cheeks began to deepen. She could feel Yusei's gaze on her. _'Can you just get back to you Duel Runner, already?'_ Shion thought, resisting the urge to let out a dry sob. _'If my face gets any redder, I'm gonna get a nosebleed.'_

"Can you wait here a minute, Shion?" asked Yusei.

The girl's gaze broke away from the stone floor, to Yusei's retreating figure. After a few moments Yusei returned with an odd object in his hands. "Here, take this," he said, explained. "It's a Duel Runner engine. It's mine from a long time ago, but it still works. Consider it a thank you for helping one of my friends. It's all yours, so please take it."

Hesitantly, Shion accepted the part. Shion got Yusei all wrong. From their previous, very brief meetings, Shion got him as some serious, wannabe badass jerk who wouldn't give a second thought to give anyone the cold shoulder. He was serious, yes, but he was loyal to his friends. Clearly, he valued them.

"Thank you," Shion smiled. "This is really going to help out."

"You should probably install it now," said Yusei. "I'm willing to give you some advise, but you should really try to put it in yourself. There isn't a guarantee I'll be around for it's completion."

Shion nodded. The whole processes was really just Yusei verbally instructing Shion on what to do, she had to figure it out from there. The only time he really stepped in was when she was completely off. But, Shion managed to get it in, and her Runner was still in one piece. When the task was complete, the pair a couple of quick nods, and Yusei went back to the hut.

"Shion," Blitz said approaching her. When did he get back? "Thanks for saving my skin back there."

"Well, I'm sure you guy's would have done the same if it were me," Shion smiled. "Actually you kind of already did… Besides, we've got one out of two parts, now."

Confused, Blitz sunk low, to observe the machine. "Huh, lookit that…" he muttered, standing back up. "You know, Yusei's going to be heading to the City tonight."

"Huh?"

"A while back we had a friend by the name of Jack. Remember when we told you Yusei built two Duel Runner's?"

"Yeah," Shion nodded.

"He built his second one after Jack stole his first, and Yusei's best card, then ran off to the City."

"So, Yusei's going to get his card back?"

"Yep. Knowing Yusei, though, I'm sure he'll be all right."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Shion bit the inside of her cheek. Yeah, she definitely pegged Yusei completely wrong.

* * *

The sun was beginning to set. Shion stood outside the lightened hut, a hand clasped over the seashell around her neck. Inhaling, she stepped inside to find Yusei towering over the computer. Shion had what she wanted to say in mind, now, when she was ready to open her mouth and speak to Yusei, the words just left her.

"You heard?" Yusei asked, glancing up at her.

She jumped slightly, surprised that he knew she was there. "Y-Yeah," she stammered. "How are you pulling it off though?"

"Through the pipeline," Yusei explained. "Once a months it's shut down for a three minute maintenance. You lost your memory, right?"

Shion nodded. "After you drove by on your Duel Runner that day," Shion began. "I just barely remembered having one. After that I found a Speed Spell in my Duel Disk."

"I see. So you could really be from the City. So you're heading to the City too?"

"As soon as we get a hold of a CPU. And I find an opportunity out… Maybe we'll meet again…"

"I'll help you in anyway I can."

Shion felt her face redden. "I-I'd appreciate that," she smiled weakly.

* * *

**Authors Note:** Should have mentioned earlier, but Shion's deck involves Winged Beast and Spellcasters. This chapter would have been a wee bit longer, but this seemed like a better place to end.

Also, the duel was supposed to be longer, but I realized Shion was in the position to get a quick win. One day I'll be comfortable writting them!


End file.
